Senate Democrats Demand Reinstatement of Fired CDC Employees

Seven U.S. Senate Democrats have called on the current administration to reinstate CDC employees who were let go since Trump took office. They criticized the firings for posing risks to public health and demanded clarity on the number of employees fired and any impacts on CDC programs.

On Wednesday, a group of seven U.S. Senate Democrats urged President Donald Trump's administration to reinstate employees dismissed from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since his tenure began. The firings, they argue, endanger American and global health.

In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., revealed by Reuters, the senators expressed their disapproval of the dismissal of an estimated 750 CDC employees, accusing the administration of disregarding public health priorities.

The letter, signed by Senators Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Ron Wyden, Chris Van Hollen, Ben Ray Lujan, Jeff Merkley, and Angela Alsobrooks, demands clarity on the number of fired CDC staff, impact on public health programs, and criticizes the broader federal workforce reductions under Trump and Elon Musk that affected 25,000 jobs. A federal judge recently deemed these actions illegal, ordering reinstatement of workers, a move the administration claims is underway.

(With inputs from agencies.)